Moving On
by AGoldenCharm
Summary: Drabble written for Tike Week Day 1- First Date/Asian Camp !


"Perry, if you don't get down from there, you can forget about having dessert tonight!"

It's an empty threat, Mike knows, but this is the third time Perry Zheng has climbed up the knobby-looking tree next to the music building and it's only the second week of camp. He's one of the most unruly kids here but Mike has a feeling that Perry also has quite the sense for music- even though he doesn't know it yet. Mike caught him tapping his foot, probably unconsciously, during music class yesterday and he likes to think that a good sense of rhythm is the first step toward discovering your own musical ability.

"I don't want dessert anyway," Perry crows from where he's sitting, "All we got yesterday was that crummy brownie. It didn't even taste good."

"Perry," Mike says as patiently as possible, "Climbing trees is dangerous. Besides, Natalie is leading arts and crafts in less than five minutes- you can't be late!"

"I hate arts and crafts," Perry pouts, gripping onto a particularly weak-looking branch and causing Mike's heart to jump out of his rib cage, "Can't we just play video games or something? That's 'social', right?"

"No, not really," Mike chuckles, "C'mon, Perry. If you get down here and over to the rec building in time for arts and crafts, I'll let you have a free shot when we play with water balloons later today."

Perry's eyes gleam at this, "Free shot? Like I get to throw them at you and you just have to stand there?"

"Yup. But only if you get down from there _now_ so we can go to arts and crafts."

Perry considers this for a moment but grins, "Deal!"

As he clambers down from the tree at an alarming speed, Mike sighs with relief. These kids are tough, and even though camp has barely even started, he feels like he's been here for ages. Technically, it's his mom's fault for volunteering him- without his consent- to be a counselor at the Ohio Asian American Association's Fine Arts Camp, but he has a pretty difficult time blaming his mom for things, so he grits his teeth and tries his hardest to be the best counselor he can be- his dad keeps telling him that if he does well enough, Eileen Peng, the supervisor, will write him a recommendation letter for his college applications.

Perry makes a run for the rec building and Mike follows hastily after him, he wonders whether or not Tina will be at arts and crafts today. Camp had started on July first and ever since that very first day when he saw her wheel her luggage into the female counselors' cabin, he's been unable to stop thinking about her. They talk all the time and he's found that she's probably one of the easiest people in the world to talk to- she's kind and thoughtful and it makes her incredibly hard to resist.

But he knows he has no place making a move on her or even just asking her to hang out during the nights the counselors get off. Everyone from the New Directions knew that Tina had broken it off with Artie two weeks into the summer- the rumor mill among the glee club was always insanely active- and it made sense, since there weren't that many of them. At any rate, Brittany told Santana who told Puck who told Finn who told Matt (even though he was moving by the end of the summer) and Matt told _him_ just days before he had left before the OAAFA camp.

_"Dude, did you hear?"_

_"Hear what?" Mike had been packing his bug repellent and trying to find his sunscreen lotion while keeping his cellphone pinned between his ear and shoulder._

_"Tina broke up with Artie!"_

_"I- what? Are you serious? What happened?"_

_"I have no idea," Matt replies, "But what does it matter? This is your chance, man!"_

_"My- my chance? For what?"_

_"You're kidding me, right? You've been head over heels for her ever since you drew each other for the ballad project and I thought your head was gonna explode when she picked you to do that tap dance number with her. You're gonna be _counselors _together this summer! This is the perfect opportunity for you to make a move!"__  
_

_"I don't know Matt," Mike says nervously, his head swimming, "Doesn't that seem a little too soon?"_

_"Yeah well just don't come crying back to me when someone _else _asks her out before you. Anyway, gotta go. My mom's making me pack up the basement."_

_"Bye..."_

Mike knows the bro code dictates that asking a girl out only weeks after her last relationship ended is a huge no-no but honestly with how much time he's been spending with her here at camp it's been impossible _not_ to imagine being in a relationship with her. She's just... _enchanting_.

For the most part, Tina has been cheerful and in good spirits- especially around the campers. But sometimes, she'll suddenly appear somber and reflective, no doubt thinking about Artie.

They've talked about it once or twice- when she had brought up the negative effects of video games to lecture the campers and ended up ranting to Mike about how inconsiderate it was to blow off your girlfriend for something as frivolous as Halo. Mike had lent an ear for her on these occasions but the last thing he wanted to do was bash Artie- especially because Mike himself had spent quite a few hours of his life glued to his xbox playing Halo.

But he and Tina had shared so many laughs (usually over their campers' abilities to hack the camp's main computer so that it played _"Never Gonna Give You Up" _on loop for hours at a time) and so many soft, lingering looks over dinner or during music class while she played piano that he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind.

"Mike if you keep walking and daydreaming at the same time you'll run into a tree."

He hadn't been aware that Perry had long since run into the rec building and he had been walking slowly and absently in front of the building with his hands in his pockets.

Tina is staring at him with an amused smile playing at her lips, her arms clutching onto a bin full of paper and paints. He's about to offer to carry it in for her when he remembers the last time he had done something like that- the first day of camp when he offered to help her move the piano across the room, she had promptly chewed his ear off in a brief but impassioned lecture that she was fully capable of performing strenuous physical tasks on her own.

"Something on your mind?" Tina asks, shifting the weight of the bin a little in her arms.

"_You__," _he doesn't say.

"Not really," Mike forces a smile, "Just patting myself on the back for getting Perry down from a tree in record time."

"Oh? How fast?"

"Less than two minutes."

"What's the damage?"

Mike frowns, "He gets to throw water balloons at me while I stand there, defenseless."

Tina bursts out in laughter, "Kind of a steep price, don't you think?"

"I do what I can," Mike shrugs with a grin, "You helping out with arts and crafts?"

"Yep," she nods, "I'm supposed to teach a lesson on watercolor painting with Nicole. Wanna help?"

"Absolutely."

He'd probably say yes even if she asked him to lay tiles in the rec building's bathroom.

* * *

Watercolor painting probably would have been a lot cooler if David Rui hadn't very purposefully splattered pink paint all over Mike's very white tank top. It probably would have been even cooler if Timmy Jin hadn't taken the opportunity to smear his orange paint over Mike's face. Tina had practically started rolling on the ground in fits of laughter and Nicole, the other counselor, had taken pictures just to document it.

Once arts and crafts had ended, Tina had disappeared with a flash, her phone in her hands as she left the building without so much as a "see you later". Mike had planned on asking her if she wanted to do rounds with him later that night but she had left in such a hurry that he didn't really have much of a chance.

Sighing, Mike heads over to the laundry room after arts and crafts to wash his tank top out, desperately hoping that the paint wouldn't stain. He pushes the door aside but stops abruptly when he hears a voice from inside.

"I just don't understand how you just _suddenly_ have all this time for me _after_ I've ended things with you! Where was this before? Why didn't I matter _before_?" There's a pause. She still hasn't noticed him standing there. "_No. _I just can't date someone who doesn't have any time for me. Just- just forget it. I have to go. Shit-" Tina spots Mike standing at the doorway and her eyes grow wide. She's leaning against one of the washing machines and looking pissed.

"You heard that, didn't you?" Tina asks heavily as he walks in slowly.

"Yeah," Mike says hesitantly, "I'm sorry- I have to wash out my shirt," he gestures to the tank top in his hand.

"It's fine," she says dismissively, sighing as she sinks down to the floor, "I'm a wreck, I know. I just- I need to get my mind off of him."

Mike's stomach lurches a little at this, "Can't stop thinking about him?"

Tina laughs hollowly, "Not the way you'd want. I just can't stop thinking about how he's never really had time for me. How I should have ended things a while ago to save myself the trouble."

Mike suddenly has an idea.

"Hey- the counselors are off tomorrow night. Instead of watching a movie with everyone in the rec room like we always do, why don't we do something different? Something fun, to get your mind off of him?"

She gives him a small smile, "Like what?"

He grins, "What's the fun in telling you? It'll be a surprise. Whaddya say?"

Tina beams, "Okay."

"Great!"

He's got a lot of planning to do. Especially if he wants to pull off what he has in mind by tomorrow night.

* * *

Originally, Tina had sort of resented her dad for signing her up to be a counselor. She had planned on spending most of her summer working on her repertoire and hanging out with friends. Well, that and hanging out with Artie. But that had rapidly gone down the drain when he had decided to consistently prioritize his game console over her.

But after discovering how much she really enjoys working with the campers, and after making friends with so many of the counselors, and above all after getting to spend so much time with Mike, who turns out to be incredible with the kids, she really doesn't mind it so much anymore.

And Mike, who she had grown to know through their ballad and tap number last year, has been great to be around. He's humble and sweet and a fantastic listener- because much to her dismay, she can't seem to shut up sometimes- and he's her favorite person to run activities with.

It makes her all the more excited that even though he sounded like his usual friendly self in inviting her to hang out tonight, they'll be able to spend some time- just the two of them. The other counselors are cool and all, but they're also pretty talkative and after a full day of dealing with their rowdy campers, she really just wants some peace and quiet.

As she heads over to the big field on the far side of camp, where Mike had asked her to meet him at eight- she checks her phone, which reads seven fifty-five- Tina can't stop wondering what exactly he has planned for tonight. The sun is still shining brightly just over the horizon, and she squints as she walks down the path toward the field, still not able to spot any sign of Mike.

"Hellooo?" Tina calls out, hoping he hadn't forgotten or something about their meet-up.

"Over here!" Mike's voice sounds like it's coming from around the corner past the trees that are blocking her line of sight.

She giggles a little, running down the little hill that leads down toward the clearing until Mike comes into sight. And what he's surrounded by makes her stop short, completely and utterly stunned.

Mike is sitting on a huge white sheet and he's got plates of food set up all over it- stolen from the cafeteria, by the looks of it. He's got three of those dinky hand lamps that are usually lined up against the wall in the music building placed on the sheet as well, along with a small plastic bin filled with other food he's clearly brought from the cafeteria. She suddenly realizes how much she feels like she's in an 80s movie. She didn't know _anyone_ who still went on picnics.

"Mike- what- what is all of this?" Tina finally manages to stammer after a good twenty seconds of gaping.

"It's a picnic," he says quite unnecessarily- of course she knows it's a picnic- but grins, indicating that he's joking, "I just thought maybe you'd want to get away from the camp and do something relaxing for a change."

Tina shakes her head in disbelief, eyes still fixed on the sandwiches in little plastic bags and juice boxes spread across the sheet. This isn't real. Mike's nice, everyone knows that, but this... this must have taken so much effort to put together...

"You- you really didn't have to," she says softly, sitting down next to him on the sheet, folding her legs carefully in front of her.

"I wanted to," Mike insists, handing her a juice box, "You deserved a little time off."

"I- thank you," she accepts the juice and he taps his box against hers, which makes her chuckle, "Cheers."

"I hope you like it," he says quietly, a little catch in his voice as he gazes at her intently, as though waiting for her approval.

"Are you kidding me? I love it," she says immediately, "I've never gone on a picnic before. And- and no one's ever done something like this for me, either."

"Well," Mike says after pausing briefly, rubbing his jaw slowly, "There's a first time for everything."

As she enjoys the tart sweetness of her cranberry apple juice and takes in the beautiful scenery she hasn't been able to appreciate during her time here at camp, she's struck by the honesty of his words. There really _is_ a first time for everything. And now, as she and Mike laugh as they swap stories of their adventures with their campers today and take big, ravenous bites of their apples and sandwiches, Tina feels like it's not _just_ her first time on a picnic.

It's the first time in ages that she's felt truly and genuinely... _happy_.


End file.
